Fort Pulaski at Risk of Erosion

One of Savannah's national historic monuments is in risk of eroding away.  That's why the folks over at the Fort Pulaski National Monument has been doing ongoing research on its site.  The erosion is taking place along the north shore of the Savannah River on the fort's property.  That's the channel many ships go through to get to our ports.  But NEWS 3’S Tristan Tully finds out it's not just the ships that are causing the erosion. 

Fort Pulaski, one of Savannah's pieces of archaeological history, could be lost forever.  That's because a large shell ridge made up of old oyster shells has been migrating on shore for the past thirty years.  Doctor Clark Alexander is one of the scientists from the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography working on the project, "It's killing the marsh and as the marsh is killed it's no longer stabilizing the sediments and so that allows the shore line to erode more rapidly than it would."

So, the past three years they've been monitoring the rate of motion of the shell ridge so they can project how much time is left before there are serious consequences.  Their answer, six months before it reaches the North Pier.  Charlie Fenwick, the superintendent of the park says that's not the only thing in danger, "With the acceleration erosion we could potentially lose not only the North Pier, but the very early American fort, the first sister fort called Fort Green that lies underneath the North Pier.  Obviously we need to do something about that."

You can see how much damage has already been done.  Where there used to be nothing but protective marsh land, all you see is a barrier of oyster shells.  We thought we would need boots, but when we got out there, the marsh was that much more eroded, "There are solutions such as stabilizing the shore lines so the erosion can't occur and waves can't get to the shells."

But unfortunately, that's quite a pricy process.  One bill the park can't necessarily foot right now, "It's an expensive solution and the National Park Service is not known for having lots of money, so we're looking for friends, we're looking for ways to solve the problem and anything anybody can do to help us, we'd be welcome them to step forward and partner with us."

To give you a little bit of history on Fort Pulaski, it was completes in 1847 by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  Also, Robert E. Lee was once in charge of the fort.

    

It is significant because of the battle on April 10th and 11th of 1862.  It has walls 7.5 feet thick, and Union Forces on Tybee Island attacked and breached the walls with rifle cannons which they did not think possible, so it signaled the end of all masonry structures as fortifications worldwide.